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The Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) /World Bank Group held between Oct. 13 and Oct. 18 at the offices of the Bretton, Woods institutions on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C, U.S.

The meetings witnessed the influx of stakeholders from across the world, including government fiscal and monetary managers, industry leaders, Civil Service Organisations, and the media.

Nonetheless, there were obvious disruptions in the transition of the stakeholders and passengers from the point of arrival in the U.S.

The first sign of trouble was the huge crowds of passengers waiting to be cleared at arrival hall of Washington Dulles Airport (IAD), a major international airport serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

As it turned out, the slow pace of work at the airport was informed by a shutdown of America’s government operations, which means a dramatic reduction in government services.

The shutdown has prevented release of funds to meet government obligations to its workers; it, however, did not have any noticeable effect on the annual meetings.

Findings revealed that the shutdown was informed by disagreement between lawmakers in the ruling Republican party and the major opposition Democratic Party on the 2026 budget.

A government shutdown occurs when the U.S. Congress fails to pass legislation to fund the operations of federal agencies before the existing funding expires (usually on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year).

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, speaking to the American media after a closed-door caucus meeting, said that he and House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, reached out to President Donald Trump.

Schumer said that they and urged him to sit down for a negotiation to resolve the health care crisis.

He said that they earlier met with Trump at the White House a day before the shutdown started but emerged without an agreement.

The Republicans, on the other hand, believe that Trump is ready to talk only after Democrats agree to reopen the government.

House Speaker, Mike Johnson, said that Trump was only willing to meet with top congressional Democrats after the government reopens,

Under the Antideficiency Act, federal agencies are legally prohibited from spending or obligating money without an appropriation law from Congress.

When funding lapses, agencies will cease all non-essential functions.

The present U.S. Federal Government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 as a result of a partisan impasse in Congress over budget legislation for the 2026 fiscal year.

It is driven by deep political disagreements over major policy programmes, like health Insurance Subsidies.

Democrats are demanding an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.

These credits, which help millions of Americans afford health insurance, are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Democrats insist that any short-term funding bill must include this extension.

The current Republican leadership generally opposes including this long-term policy measure in a temporary funding bill.

They argue that the extension of these subsidies should be debated as a separate issue later in the year.

Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Americans for Prosperity, an NGO, said the shutdown was entirely avoidable.

‘Republicans put forward a reasonable plan to fund the government and protect taxpayers; Democrats chose partisanship over practical governance.

‘Americans deserve better than this kind of dysfunction,’ he said.

Isabelle Morales, Federal Affairs Manager at ‘Americans for Tax Reform’, said that the Republicans in Congress had already done their job by voting for a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) resolution.

‘This unserious laundry list of progressive demands proves that democrats are responsible for this government shutdown.

‘This is not a negotiation over policy; it is an act of political cowardice,’ she said.

Samantha Worrell, an American citizen, said that the Republicans were to blame.

According to Worrell, they have control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency, and they know the Democrats are not going to vote for something that will hurt people, especially health care-wise.

Another American, Julia Hamilton, put the blame on President Donald Trump.

‘He is all talk, and he does not really know what he is doing, and he has not done a lot of helpful things for us,’ she said.

Monsurat Adeniyi, a Nigerian based in America, said that the policies of Trump and his Republican party were insensitive to ordinary Americans.

Adeniyi said that such insensitivity led to the present shutdown in the country, adding that the position of the Democrats in the Congress was in the interest of the American citizens.

Margret Spelling, President of the Bipartisan Policy Center, said that the shutdown had taken priority over governing responsibly, leaving millions of Americans to bear the consequences.

‘This shutdown is a failure by those elected to serve hardworking families, taxpayers, and businesses.

‘As long as this shutdown continues, lawmakers and their constituents alike will feel the impacts of lost wages and economic opportunity in their communities.

‘The Small Business Administration will stop approving new small business loans; food safety efforts will deteriorate, and pregnant mothers will go hungrier.’

She urged members of Congress from both parties and the executive branch to come together immediately to end the shutdown.

Spelling advised the government to provide transparency into all agency contingency planning, and commit to reforms that stop this cycle from repeating.

‘The stakes are too high for political brinksmanship; Americans deserve stability, accountability, and bipartisan leadership focused on the nation’s long-term fiscal and economic health,’ she said.

According to Romina Boccia, Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at GATO Institute, an American think tank, Americans should disregard the shutdown and be more focused on what happens when it is over.

‘The shutdown fight may grab media attention, but the real crisis is what is happening when the government is open for business.

‘Let us be clear; a shutdown does not mean the government disappears, Social Security checks still go out, troops stay on duty; it is mostly parks and federal offices that close.

‘Once a shutdown ends, federal employees receive back pay.

‘In other words, there are no taxpayer savings, just a costly pause in orderly government operations,’ she said.

In addition, Adeniyi said that the logjam in the American Congress was a far departure from what was obtainable in a country like Nigeria, where every decision from the executive was almost always endorsed by the legislature without question.

As the Americans look up to their lawmakers to resolve the shutdown, stakeholders are calling on countries in Africa, especially Nigeria, to take a cue from the American congress and effect independence of all arms of government.(NANFeatures)

Nigerian singer and rapper Tochukwu Gbubemi Ojogwu popularly known as Odumodublvck has opened up on why he wears his signature red cap.

While speaking in an episode of Comfortably Speaking, the rapper claimed that the music industry is a battleground. He added that his tribe wears the cap whenever they go to war.

Odumodublvck who is famous for wearing the Okpu-Agu explained that it holds a deep cultural meaning in the Igbo tradition.

‘This is a war cap. Whenever my tribe wants to go to war against another clan, all the warriors will wear this. So if I enter the music industry, which is a battleground, put two and two together,’ he stated.

North West, an American media personality and daughter of famous personalities, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, has showed off her bold new look.

The 12-year-old actor, on her social media pages, shared posts of herself with a face tattoo, a nose ring, contact lens and blue colored hair.

Although she noted that the tattoos were fake, the post stirred concerns from fans.

‘Fake piercings and fake tatts for life,’ she wrote.

The post quickly garnered reactions with many users questioning Kim’s parenting. They criticised the look, noting that North is a child and should not be experimenting with certain fashion styles.

Former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has been selected as the consensus candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the North for the position of National Chairman ahead of the party’s convention scheduled to take place in November in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The announcement was made by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, following a crucial meeting of Northern PDP leaders held in Abuja on Wednesday night.

Governor Fintiri stated that the decision was reached unanimously by key stakeholders across the northern region in a bid to unite the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. He, however, noted that other aspirants who disagree with the consensus arrangement are free to contest in the convention. ‘After extensive deliberations, we have agreed on Barrister Tanimu Turaki as the Northern consensus candidate. This decision is aimed at strengthening party cohesion. Any aspirant not satisfied with this resolution reserves the right to proceed to the convention,’ Fintiri said.

Turaki emerged ahead of other prominent contenders including former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, and ex-Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who were earlier reported to be in a tight race for the chairmanship slot.

Liverpool delivered a stunning performance in Germany on Wednesday night, thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in their UEFA Champions League match.

The Reds, led by manager Arne Slot, recovered quickly from an early scare after Rasmus Kristensen put Frankfurt ahead in the 26th minute. But once Liverpool found their rhythm, it was total domination.

Hugo Ekitike sparked the comeback with a brilliant solo strike from the edge of the box in the 35th minute, before captain Virgil van Dijk powered home a header to make it 2-1.

Just before half-time, Ibrahima Konaté added a third with another towering header from Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner.

Liverpool picked up right where they left off after the break, with Cody Gakpo converting a smart through ball from Florian Wirtz to make it 4-1 in the 66th minute.

Szoboszlai then put the game beyond reach with a thunderous drive from distance, sealing a statement win for the English giants.

Mohamed Salah, introduced in the second half, came close to adding to the tally but was twice denied by Frankfurt goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.

The result keeps Liverpool firmly on course in the Champions League league phase.

Arne Slot’s men will now turn their attention to their next fixture at Anfield, buoyed by one of their most clinical European away performances in recent memory.

The Lagos State Government has launched an investigation into a staff member of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) over allegations of diverting official payments into a personal bank account.

The probe was initiated after a social media user raised the alarm on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that the agency was receiving payments through an individual’s Opay account, issuing customers receipts that did not reflect the actual amounts paid.

The whistleblower, identified as @Bhadmoz (TrueBlue), accused the agency of charging ?45,000 while issuing receipts of just ?7,100, tagging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in the post.

Reacting swiftly to the allegations, Commissioner Wahab confirmed that the individual linked to the account was an existing LASAA employee. He ordered the staff member to appear at the agency’s headquarters for disciplinary action.

‘My attention has been drawn to a post alleging improper transaction practices involving a staff member of an agency under our ministry,’ Wahab said. ‘I have directed that the officer report to the head office tomorrow for immediate disciplinary proceedings.’

Wahab reiterated the state government’s commitment to transparency and warned public servants against unethical practices.

‘Let this be a clear warning: Lagos State has zero tolerance for misconduct. We appreciate concerned citizens who expose wrongdoing, as accountability is a shared responsibility,’ he added.

The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency is responsible for regulating outdoor advertisements and signage across the state.

For the first time in history, mosquitoes have been found in Iceland, a country long believed to be completely free of the insects.

The discovery comes after the North Atlantic nation experienced record-breaking heat this spring, raising fresh concerns about the effects of global warming on its fragile ecosystem.

Local insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason spotted the mosquitoes last week while observing moths using wine-soaked ropes. He later identified two females and one male, which experts at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History confirmed as Culiseta annulata, one of the few species capable of surviving winter.

The insects were found in Kjós, a glacial valley southwest of the capital, Reykjavik. Until now, Iceland and Antarctica were the only two places on Earth without mosquitoes, largely due to the cold climate and lack of stagnant water.

‘I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before,’ Hjaltason wrote on Facebook, adding that ‘the last fortress seems to have fallen.’

Experts say the development follows an unusually hot May in Iceland, when temperatures hit 26.6°C (79.8°F) – the highest ever recorded in the country. Normally, heatwaves last just two or three days, but this year, temperatures above 20°C persisted for over a week.

Entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson, who confirmed the discovery, said the species is common across Europe and North Africa but it remains unclear how they reached Iceland. He added that scientists will monitor the area next spring to determine whether the mosquitoes have established a permanent population.

Hjaltason believes the insects may have arrived through shipping routes. ‘Things often come in with containers,’ he said. ‘But if three of them came straight into my garden, there were probably more.’

The finding has sparked discussions among climate scientists, who say Iceland’s warming trend could reshape its once mosquito-free environment.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said 172 deaths have been recorded from Lassa fever in 21 states so far in 2025, a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.6 per cent, higher than the 17 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.

NCDC said this in its Lassa Fever Situation Report for Week 40 (Sept. 29-Oct. 5).

According to NCDC, 924 confirmed cases and 8,041 suspected cases had been reported from 106 Local Government Areas so far with Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba and Ebonyi accounting for 90 per cent of all confirmed cases.

Ondo State alone was responsible for 35 per cent of the cases.

The centre said that the report indicated that confirmed cases rose from four in Week 39 to 13 in Week 40, all recorded in Ondo State.

The NCDC noted that the predominant age group affected was 21 to 30 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8, adding that no new healthcare worker infection was reported during the week under review.

It attributed the high fatality rate to the late presentation of cases and poor health-seeking behaviour among residents of high-burden communities.

It also listed poor environmental sanitation and low awareness as factors driving infections.

To strengthen response efforts, the NCDC said it had deployed 10 national rapid response teams to affected states using a One Health approach.

It added that ongoing activities include training of healthcare workers, risk communication campaigns and the distribution of response commodities such as Ribavirin, PPEs, and thermometers to treatment centres.

According to it, other interventions include the ongoing INTEGRATE clinical trial in Ondo State, capacity-building workshops for clinicians, and environmental health campaigns in high-burden states.

The NCDC urged states to strengthen community engagement on prevention and improve early case detection and referral.

It also called on healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever and initiate timely treatment to reduce deaths.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease endemic in Nigeria, spread mainly through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rats.

It can also spread person-to-person, especially in hospitals without strict infection control.

The illness causes fever, weakness, vomiting, bleeding and in severe cases, organ failure.

Nigeria records the highest global burden, with most cases from Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Taraba, and Ebonyi states.

It peaks in the dry season ‘December-April’ and has a high fatality rate, especially when patients present late.

A heated moment played out on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday after Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) clashed during deliberations on the Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2025, which seeks to impose stiffer penalties for aiding or procuring abortions in Nigeria.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and earlier passed by the House of Representatives, proposes to increase the jail term for anyone who provides drugs or instruments to facilitate abortion from three years to ten years, without the option of a fine.

According to Bamidele, the proposed amendment aims to update the nation’s Criminal Code Act in line with ‘contemporary social, moral, and medical realities,’ arguing that the growing number of unlawful abortions poses serious ethical and public health concerns.

Debate on the bill quickly grew tense as lawmakers expressed divided opinions on what should be classified as an ‘unlawful abortion.’

Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) cautioned against passing the amendment without broad stakeholder consultation. He argued that the proposed law could discourage medical professionals from offering life-saving interventions for women in danger.

‘We must not legislate in a way that endangers life,’ Ningi warned, urging the Senate to suspend further deliberation on the matter.

Sensing growing disagreement, Senate President Akpabio ruled that the bill be stepped down and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further consultation and recommendations within two weeks.

However, the decision sparked another moment of drama when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only two women present at plenary, sought recognition to make a contribution after Akpabio’s ruling.

‘Mr. Senate President, please may I speak? I am a woman, and abortion has to do with women. It is very important, sir,’ she appealed.

Akpabio, however, declined her request, insisting that the matter had already been suspended ‘in totality.’

At that point, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) raised a point of order, arguing that allowing Natasha to speak after the gavel had fallen would breach the Senate’s standing rules.

‘If you grant this exemption to Senator Natasha, then you must extend it to everyone else,’ Oshiomhole stated. ‘The rules should be applied uniformly.’

Citing Rule 52 (Subsection 6) of the Senate Standing Orders, Akpabio upheld Oshiomhole’s objection and ruled Natasha out of order, noting that ‘no matter concluded by the Senate can be reopened during the same session.’

An application for bail filed by alleged terrorists’ negotiator, Tukur Mamu, being detained at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility was against rejected by Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The ruling was the third time the court would reject Mamu’s application for bail since his was arraigned on March 21, 2023 by the Federal Government on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism financing, among others.

Mamu was arrested on Sept. 7, 2022 by Egyptian security officials at the Cairo International Airport, on reasonable suspicion of financing Boko Haram terrorism activities.

He was alleged to have convinced the terrorists to discuss ransom payments with individual families of the hostages of the train attack instead of the Chief of Defence Staff Committee set up by the Federal Government for his personal financial gain.

He was said to have been nominated by the terrorists that attacked the Abuja-Kaduna bound train sometime in March 2022 which took scores of persons hostage.

Mamu was alleged to have collected ransoms on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorists from families of hostages, confirmed the amount and facilitated the delivery of same to the terrorists.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Why I can’t grant your bail request

While rejecting the bail application on Tuesday, Justice Mohammed Umar, however ordered that Mamu should be taken to appropriate hospital by the DSS for a medical attention, having taken notice of his health complaint.

Justice Umar held that by the history of the case so far, the prosecution had exhibited diligence in it handling of the case.

The judge said one of the reasons for granting bail is where the prosecution is not diligent, adding that since the prosecution in the instant case was diligent, the application for bail cannot be granted.

He, therefore, ordered that the defence lawyer to choose the health facility comfortable to the defendant, to which he should be promptly taken.

‘I have carefully read the application for bail filed by the applicant/defendant and all other accompanied documents,’ he said.

The judge said one thing to determine was whether Mamu had placed before the court sufficient material facts to warrant granting of the bail.

He said though the court had the discretion to grant bail, this must be exercised judiciously and judicially.

The judge said some of the factors to be considered are the nature of the charge, the character of evidence, the evidence that if granted bail, the defendant will not interfere with the trial, whether he will not stop attending court proceedings, among others.

Meanwhile, Mamu’s trial is ongoing before Justice Umar.(NAN)